I. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to telecommunications. More particularly, the present invention is directed to methods and systems for geographically verifying a wireless communication system customer. The invention is particularly useful in geographically verifying a point-to-multipoint customer in a Multi-channel Multipoint Distribution Service (MMDS) system. However, aspects of the invention may be equally applicable in other scenarios as well.
II. Description of Related Art
In a typical wireless network, a service provider obtains a license (e.g., a license from the Federal Communications Commission) to provide service to a specified area. This area is divided geographically into a number of cell sites. Each cell site defines a radio frequency pattern, oftentimes referred to as Response Service Area (RSA), from a respective base transceiver station (BTS) antenna. Most cell sites are usually further divided geographically into a number of sectors. Each such sector may be defined respectively by radiation patterns from directional antenna components. These sectors can be referred to as “physical sectors,” since they are physical areas of a cell site.
These sectors can be characterized as pie wedges. When a customer premises equipment (CPE), such as an MMDS dish, is first installed or actually physically located within a given sector, under ideal conditions, the CPE should be authorized to operate in this given sector. Once the CPE is properly installed and properly authorized to work within this pre-assigned sector, the CPE will optimally communicate with the base station via communication mechanisms (upstream and downstream) designated for that given sector.
Occasionally, however, because of technician or back office error, imprecise planning, data entry input errors, erroneous location information, or other like problems, it often occurs that a CPE is incorrectly assigned. That is, a CPE is assigned to operate in a first sector but is physically located in a second or different sector. Another problem that may arise relates to pre-assigning a CPE to operate within a particular sector but yet the CPE is physically located outside of the licensed broadcast area or Response Service Area (i.e., the RSA). That is, the CPE is not physically located within any licensed broadcast sector.
Such incorrect assignments pose certain transmission and network assignment concerns. For example, the CPE and/or base station may need to increase their transmission signal strength in order to successfully communicate with one another. Effectively, if an incorrect assignment occurs, the CPE and/or base station overextend or stretch their communications over sector borders. Unfortunately, such an increased signal strength can create certain disadvantages. For example, increased signal strength could result in noise air interference. Such noise can undesirably interfere with communications between the base station and other CPEs residing in adjacent sectors.
Moreover, incorrectly assigned CPE's could also present equipment allocation issues. In addition, a CPE operating while physically located outside an RSA may violate certain rules and regulations underlying the FCC license of the wireless system operator. Such potential violations may place the operators FCC license at risk. There is, therefore, a need for an improved system.